It’s not often a heavy-hitter Hollywood producer and his beautiful wife move to town and make Fort Worth the perfect city to raise their children. And it’s not often a Hollywood producer’s wife reaches out to you the second their plane hits the tarmac. Ok, let me back up a couple of decades and share the bigger picture.

This wasn’t Angelique’s first rodeo to Texas. She was actually born in Fort Worth and attended Southwest High School with my cousins Clif and Cami, but for her junior year she hopped over to Arlington Heights High School, and that’s where the mutual friend thing comes into play.

Several years ago, Jason and I hosted an event at Del Frisco’s with Neiman Marcus in collaboration with Riedel Wine. We had a great turnout and everyone enjoyed the educational wine-tasting experience and gifts. Afterwards, Jason and I entertained our close friends in the basement wine cellar. That’s when Kristi Wilson introduced me to Angelique, and the rest was history!

Fast forward to the present, when Angelique and Mike De Luca made Fort Worth their new hometown, they both mentioned wanting to get involved with a few local non-profits and charities. Many institutions have been clambering for their attention, I mean who wouldn’t, but eventually, the De Luca’s hearts settled on founding member, Jean Roach’s beloved KinderFrogs, a family-focused, early intervention program that provides a developmentally appropriate educational environment for children with Down Syndrome and other developmental delays.

You know what that means! A very special party would soon be in the works. Last October the appropriately themed fundraiser, Hollywood Celebrates KinderFrogs, became the center of attention in the Who’s Who of Fort Worth’s upper echelon. Scoring an invite to this event would not be easy, and of course, it sold out almost immediately. If you weren’t quick to reply, then you weren’t going.

Months before, Angelique mentioned she and Mike were donating two tickets to the Academy Awards for the Leap Frog 2017 live auction. I told her attending the Oscars would be a dream come true, it was a bucket list item of mine and I was determined to check it off the list. She said it would be so fun if we went with them. The mission to win those tickets was on like Donkey Kong.

We laughed at the concoction of excuses I came up with on how to get away with winning this auction item. It was like a scene straight out of, “How To Get Away With Murder”. I was afraid to tell Jason for fear he would shut that fun down real quick, and I definitely didn’t want to tell my Dad because I knew he would knock some sense into my head. No time for that either! So, I called up our accountant to figure out what it would take to get me to the Oscars. After hanging up the phone, my mind was at ease. Now, all I needed was to let Jason know of my plan.

The night of Leap Frog 2017 finally came, and I was so excited I could hardly stand it. When we pulled up, the paparazzi were waiting at the red carpet flashing their camera lights to take everyone’s picture as they arrived. We checked-in and walked down the driveway to the De Luca’s backyard, which was transformed into a majestic scene of purple wonder.

The De Luca Family

Jean & John Roach, Founding Members of KinderFrogs

Lauren & Mark Yamagata, Honorary Chairs of Leap Frog 2017

I immediately knew this event had its A-game on when I spotted Daylan Sharpe and his very sharp team of service staff. They always set the tone of sophistication and perfection for any event. This outdoor soiree was lit, and in purple too. The floral and place settings complimented the Hollywood and TCU theme of the evening.

After a cocktail and mingling with friends, the dinner bells chimed and we all headed to the table. We worked our way over to the Dunaway Associates/Foundation table with our guests and the guests of President/CEO of Dunaway Assco. Tom Galbreath.

As we were enjoying a delicious catered meal from Jon Bonnell’s restaurant Bonnell’s, the presentation for the evening got underway.

Angelique & Mike De Luca

Mary Martin Patton, Dean of TCU College of Education

Mary Martin Patton with Co-Chairs Amy Yudiski & Diane Ayres

When dessert was brought to the table, I knew it was almost showtime. My hands began to shake in nervous anticipation for the bidding to begin. There were seven live auction items, and “Night at the Oscars” would be the last one on the list. Jason and I had actually instated a “no-bid on live Auctions” rule (several businesses over the years didn’t honor the donations we won at other charity events), but this time was different. The De Luca’s were our close friends, and we knew this was going to be legit!

As Scott Murray finished up the second to last auction item on the list, my heart started to race. The moment I had been waiting for all night was about to unfold. Scott starts in on the bidding. Several people raised their hands, I raised mine shortly after to let the auctioneer know I was in the game. My heart was pounding. I was hoping it wasn’t going to go very high, then one of our friends sitting with us raised his hand just to get a reaction out of me! I gave him the stink eye. He laughed. The bid kept going up. Many people had given up and dropped out. Even though I knew the money was going to a great cause, I still didn’t want to break the bank.

What felt like the longest live auction bid in history, finally came down to me and one other guy in the ring. It went back and forth between the two of us when another friend, sitting at our table, mentioned I was bidding against a billionaire. I mean really?!?! Can it get any worse? But, just as he said this, the bidding slowed. I thought, “I can’t give up now. What’ s an extra $500, just one more $500!”

And then it was over! Although the wallet felt pretty beaten up, in the end, it all went to an incredible cause. We won the Academy Award tickets and Leap Frog 2017 broke many records, raising $394,550, the most money for KinderFrogs in the event’s history.

Scott Murray

What’s Happening Next

Now, let me share with you the exciting things that are unfolding as we speak. Since January 2nd, I have been on a journey to go from drab to fab by March 4th, 2018. I restarted my super clean diet from indulging over the holidays, and I’ve have lost over 10lbs so far. I’m actually at the lowest I’ve been since I broke my back four years ago. Yay me! Nothing like having something to motivate you, right?

I also tried a few things I’ve never done before, including Botox and fillers. I went to the very best doctor in Dallas/Fort Worth and even live filmed the procedure on Instagram (you are following me there, right?). Before and after photos have been taken and I can’t wait to share the results, plus the incredible giveaway from his practice that you don’t want to miss.

This Week:

Get your sweet tooth ready, SoFortWorthIt followers! There’s a delicious giveaway hitting the blog this week that you do not want to miss!

Next Week:

Total hair makeover and Giveaway!

In Two Weeks:

Red-carpet makeover by the best in the industry and of course surprises for you!

And then:

Made-to-Measure Oscar dresses- you’ll see the entire process, start to finish, on how this designer for the stars has created a dress just for me.

Oscars Weekend:

Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram for LIVE, behind the scenes moments throughout our weekend in LA. The excitement is brewing, and I can’t wait to share it all with you.

Hey SoFortWorthIt fans! Here are my top picks for fun events and activities to do in October with or without your children, plus 2 GIVEAWAYS! Although I’m a little late to the game for this month, the list below offers some of the best in and around our beautiful city.

Hey, SoFortWorthIt fans! Here are my top picks for fun events and activities to do in October to with or without your children, plus 2 GIVEAWAYS!

TOP 10 FOR OCTOBER

Get your holiday shopping done early this year with a wide range of merchants offering something for everyone, while knowing you’re making a positive impact on the community through the Fort Worth Junior League. Check out the catalog.

Celebrate Fort Worth’s revitalizing growth into the River District with this family friendly event offering live music from home-grown artist, including Isabella Breedlove (Heiress of Joe T. Garcia) and Peter More (grandson of the late Martha Hyder), local shop owners and delicious food and drink vendors. Rio Festival will also have a fun kid zone full of seasonal crafts and games. (12 and under FREE)

Celebrating its 15th year, this popular family-friendly October event attracts a crowd as diverse as the neighborhood itself with live music, artistic displays of every kind, food, drink, and fun for everyone. More than 800 artists, 30 bands and 3 main stages will be spread across 15 blocks of the Near Southside.

For 25 years, Partners Card has become the largest fundraiser for The Family Place and is one of the most popular shopping events in the Dallas Metroplex, providing over 15,000 nights of shelter to women, men and children. 100% of your Partners Card purchase goes directly to supporting survivors of family violence. Get your Christmas shopping done early and save 20% at more than 750 retailers and restaurants.

The annual “Family Pumpkin Days” are not to be missed on SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS during the month of October. An extensive list of exciting entertainment including a huge maze, a three story treehouse, zip-lines and even a giant “pillow” to jump on, this farm will keep your family entertained for hours.

Not to be missed Nov 4th: On “Pumpkin Smashing Saturday”, the farm obliterates leftover pumpkins on a high-speed pumpkin zip-line that launches from a 40-foot water tower with a head-on collision into a barrier.

It’s a spooky time of year as zombies and ghouls take over the park. Haunted houses and scare zones make for a truly frightening evening after the sun goes down. The stuff of nightmares lurk around every corner as the dark of night washes over the park. The ghouls are set free for their daily hunting rituals. BEWARE! There is no place to hide!

Thirteen themed haunted houses across America make up the imagery for Misty Keasler’s Haunt, 2015–2017. Approximately 40 photographs featuring American haunted houses, depicting interior rooms and exterior scenes, are included in this exhibition. In addition to the photographs of haunts, this exhibition includes a separate series of 15 portraits of haunted house actors in monster costumes. The Museum is free every Sunday and half price every Wednesday.

Enjoy a night of live music outside against the Modern’s reflecting pond with unique spotlight tours in the galleries, a DJ and dancing in the Grand Lobby, prize drawings from the Modern Shop, and exceptional cuisine from Café Modern. Dress up for the Modern Costume Contest this October! Picnic dinners are available with advance reservations.

Cutting Edge Haunted House is located in a 100-year-old abandoned meat-packing factory right here in Fort Worth. This haunted house received two records in Guinness World Records for “World’s Largest Haunted Attraction” and “World’s Largest Walk Through Haunted House” in 2015. Nuff said!

Insider tip: The closer it gets to Halloween, the longer the wait to get in…sometimes up to 4 hours. For an extra $10 over general admission, your wait will be under 30 minutes, and an extra $23 over general admission, there’s no wait.

In its 29th season, this charity-benefiting haunted house is the largest of its kind in the world. Unlike many other haunted houses, Hangman’s changes their theme every year. This year, Ft. Worth’s legendary Hezekiah Jones, “The Hangman,” will find himself standing beside some of the creepiest people, places and things Texas has to offer. This chilling take on “Texas Legends” is sure to make you check under your bed before you go to sleep at night.

Insider tip: Just like Cutting Edge, VIP tickets are worth every penny.

SoFortWorthIt Visits Fright Fest

A couple of weeks ago, Autumn Reo with Mama Challenge and The Reo Agency reached out to me to join her on a frightful adventure to Six Flags. It was only appropriate that we bring a cinematographer, aka, cool camera guy Joshua Colson, to capture all of our screams on film. You’ll get a kick out of this one minute video. Special thanks to Josh Mills with Desert Wind Films, this wouldn’t have been possible with him.

Over the next few weeks, I have some incredible posts coming your way. Last month I entertained outside of the country and this week I’m traveling to another stellar destination. I can’t wait to share it all with you.

I’m also working on my wildly popular Holiday Events and Activities in DFW. I have tons of giveaway and prizes on the horizon, so hold on to your pants! Speaking of giveaways, I hope you enjoyed the ones above.

Leave a comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on making SFWI the best it can be! xoxo

Look no further! You have arrived at the official hot spot for everything fun and fabulous happening in and around The Fort. This is THE place to get your local and metroplex scoop. I’ll talk about everything under the sun, including restaurants and businesses of all kinds. I’ve got you covered.

Walton's Fancy & Staple in Austin

The Container Store's Private Preview Party in 2013

Be in-the-know for fun events and activities to do with your family. You’ll catch all the local buzz here!